Katy Cappell, a member of the Whitehurst Lab, has received a P.E.O. Scholar Award. It was awarded by the International Chapter of the P.E.O Sisterhood, a Philanthropic Educational Organization. The award is a one-time merit-based award for $15,000 given to women pursuing their doctoral degree. The award was announced May 1, 2011.
Katy is currently investigating stratagies to sensitize non-small cell lung cancer to the chemotherapeutic paclitaxel. In particular, she has demonstrated that the polyadenylation scaffold symplekin and several gametogenic genes are required for mitotic spindle formation in the presence of paclitaxel.
A student in the MD/PhD program, Katy will defend her PhD in May 2011, after which she will complete the remaining two years of medical school to earn her MD.
According to their website, the “P.E.O. is a philanthropic organization where women celebrate the advancement of women; educate women through scholarships, grants, awards, loans, and stewardship of Cottey College; and motivate women to achieve their highest aspirations.” You can learn more about the P.E.O. and the scholarships they offer on the P.E.O. website.
Our congratulations to Katy!